Diners desert TripAdvisor for ‘honest’ photos of Instagram
INSTAGRAM is eclipsing TripAdvisor as a source of restaurant reviews because customers find pictures speak louder than words, chefs and restaurant owners have said.
Diners say the hotel and restaurant review website has too many fake submissions and that they prefer to see a restaurant and its dishes than read about them.
Felicity Spector, a broadcaster and food writer with 60,000 followers on Instagram, said: “I never look at TripAdvisor. I wouldn’t even bother. It’s just not very helpful. They’re badly written, they don’t say anything helpful. It’s often about their journey time or something.
“I look at blogs and reviews by people I have heard of and respect. It’s a visual thing, so you know what you’re getting.”
Alex Head, founder of the Social Pantry and Soane’s Kitchen at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, agreed: “I can’t remember the last time I turned to TripAdvisor for advice. Instagram is without a doubt my go-to platform for inspiration. The peer-to-peer recom-
‘You find interesting new places or old gems in small towns somewhere because a person you follow has been’
mendations shared by friends and influencers is an instant motivator for making me visit a restaurant.”
Some say that while TripAdvisor shows users the most popular restaurants in an area, Instagram can help you off the beaten track. Some use “geo-tagging” to attach their posts to a particular location, helping other users find recommended restaurants.
Ollie Templeton, head chef and cofounder of Carousel, London, said: “I recently used geo-tags to find the best little outside restaurant in Palermo. I wouldn’t have been able to find that using TripAdvisor. I think as you decide who to follow, you organically find interesting new places, or old gems in small towns somewhere because a person you follow has been there.”
“Clerkenwell Boy”, an anonymous food reviewer with 180,000 followers on Instagram, said he used TripAdvisor “to sort by worst reviews to see what’s the worst that could happen” but thinks Instagram is “a great way to get a sense of the vibe of a place”.
A TripAdvisor spokesman said: “It is comparing apples and oranges. Millennials aren’t using Instagram in the same way or for the same purpose as they use TripAdvisor. Often they use both.”